One of the major talking points from head coach Kyle Shanahan during his end-of-season press conference is how the San Francisco 49ers needed to get much, much faster overall as a team.
On top of that, their wide receiver room is looking awfully bleak heading into the offseason, especially with Brandon Aiyuk having apparently played his last snap in the red and gold, and Jauan Jennings hitting the free-agent market. Ricky Pearsall has struggled to stay healthy his first two years, and Demarcus Robinson is a role player, at best.
Needless to say, it's safe to assume the Niners will be targeting at least one wide receivers in this year's NFL Draft, perhaps more.
Good thing it's a deep class at the position.
Mocking a wide receiver to San Francisco at No. 27 overall is becoming a popular theme as of late, and ESPN's Field Yates didn't stray from this strategy in his latest mock.
But the prospect he tabs for Shanahan is enticing enough.
ESPN mocks speedy Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion to 49ers in NFL Draft
Back in 2017, Shanahan's first year as head coach, one of the primary focuses for his offense was getting fast players, which was highlighted by grabbing an Olympian wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.
Shanahan has somewhat strayed from speedy wideouts in recent years, focusing more on separation skills and blocking prowess, which remain important. But, getting back to the speed foundation he originally deployed, the 49ers head coach certainly wouldn't mind a scenario in which Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion is the pick at No. 27 overall.
And that's whom Yates mocks to the Niners:
"The 49ers are desperate for help at wide receiver and edge rusher this offseason, but the latter has a natural lift coming with the return of Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams from ACL injuries. However, their top wide receiver (Jauan Jennings) is a free agent and Brandon Aiyuk is all but gone from the team.
Concepcion is an explosive play waiting to happen, as he scored 25 receiving touchdowns in three college seasons and took a pair of punts to the house during his lone season at Texas A&M. He's a contender for the fastest wideout in the class and would be a fun player for coach Kyle Shanahan."
Indeed, Concepcion's projected 40-yard time is 4.46 seconds, and his actual NFL Combine performance could boost an already impressive draft stock.
The lack of downfield speed was readily apparent during the Niners' stretch run and into the playoffs, which had all kinds of negative impacts on Shanahan's ability to fully deploy his offense.
Should Yates' mock come true, San Francisco's ability to stretch the field certainly would see a much-needed boost.